Rediscovering the Road - Iowa to Texas

I've rediscovered a few things in the last few days:

• It's weirdly fun to notice superstores at the boundaries of states and cities - leaving Iowa you pass the Adults superstore, and entering Missouri, you get fireworks!  Wichita has the largest gun store in Kansas.
• country and western music, classic rock, and a lot of static - and I find myself singing along to the lot
• I really do know how to pack (but it's still somewhat irritating)!  Our 4x8 trailer is stuffed - no tie-downs required.  And we loaded it in a couple of hours.  Friend Tom said I really am an engineer - I said I really am my father's daughter :-).
• It really is OK to drive in the slow lane.  Towing a trailer, I'm stuck at 55 mph (OK sometimes I push it to *almost* 60).  When the limit is 75, you start out feeling like a real snail.  But after a while, you realize that you don't have to worry about passing anyone!  Passing is the other guy's problem!  I have had a time or two when I've had to shift towards the shoulder or brake a bit to let the passer in, but that's just another way to stay alert, right?
• It's very different driving on secondary roads than the major freeways.  My first day, I stayed on freeways - they are populated, have rest stops, easy on/off for services, and have plenty of lanes for those passers.  But they are also a bit boring, and *very* fast (and remember, I can't go fast - I lose 20 miles every hour).  Secondary roads are slower (but still not 55), and much more interesting.  You get a better estimate of actual drive times, and there are few other cars.  But, those few other cars are now passing on a two-lane road with no shoulder.  There are no rest stops, and often, the small towns along the route are slightly bypassed - so finding a good place for a break is difficult.  And occasionally, I think about what the heck I would do if my car broke down out in the middle of ranch country.
• Towing a trailer makes it even harder to make quick stops to see the countryside and monuments.  I missed a stop at Lake Mead in Kansas (or was that Oklahoma?), I likewise missed the first view of mesa country :-(.  I did see the monument where Coronado passed  in 1541 :-).
• Proper driving hygiene (like sleep hygiene) is important.  Some of what I am remembering:  
• keep your shoulder blades against the seatback (posture)
• keep your abdomen muscles taut but not tense (posture and alertness)
• flex your ankles occasionally (when you have cruise control on :-) )
• keep both hands resting lightly on the wheel - avoid resting elbows on the door, as this makes you sit crooked 
• drink enough water to stay hydrated, but keep it moderate - you don't want to have to stop every half hour to get rid of it!

Adios, Iowa

I woke up this morning in Wichita, Kansas.  After 3 fulfilling, interesting contracts in Iowa, I left that Midwest state in all its fall glory.  In the month before, we had visited Minnesota and areas along the Mississippi, hoping to catch a glimpse of fiery trees.  We mostly succeeded, but I think Iowa kept its fireworks in reserve for yesterday's blazing farewell.
Of course, my camera was packed away...

A Twin Cities Fall Weekend

We went on a weekend road-trip from our place in Iowa, up to visit a friend in the Twin Cities.  It was a *beautiful* Fall weekend in early October, and we were dazzled by the area!  We drove around the many lakes in Edina and Minneapolis...

Even though it was Fall, a few flowers were exuberantly present!

We went on to the Mississippi River, and saw even more color

Saint Paul had some amazing architecture

And we were awestruck by the modern (and not so modern) buildings in downtown Minneapolis

Clearly, we got a little carried away....

On the advice of a friend, we went to Hell's Kitchen for breakfast (which was *great!*), so to even things out, we toured the Basilica on our way out of town